Zandile Khumalo 'could not point out Meyiwa’s attacker based on suspicion'

Zandile Khumalo, who witnessed the home invasion in which footballer Senzo Meyiwa was fatally shot in 2014, told the Pretoria high court she only had suspicions as to who the first intruder who wielded a gun was but did not want to point him out based on suspicions.

“For now, I only have suspicions. I don't want to point out the poor person based on suspicions,” Khumalo said on Friday.

She told the court it was hard to tell if the intruder who wielded the gun on the night of the incident was in court, given that they had possibly gained weight since 2014 — and of significance was that none of the accused had dreadlocks.

This emerged during her cross-examination by Charles Mnisi, advocate for one of the five accused, Mthobisi Prince Mncube.

The men had allegedly entered the lounge of the Khumalo family home in October 2014 demanding valuables. In the Vosloorus house were Meyiwa, his girlfriend Kelly Khumalo, Zandile and her boyfriend Longwe Twala, their mother Ntombi and two of Meyiwa's friends from KwaZulu-Natal, Mthokozisi Thwala and Tumelo Madlala.

Muzikawukhulelwa Sibiya, Bongani Sandiso Ntanzi, Mncube, Mthokoziseni Maphisa and Sifisokuhle Nkani Ntuli have pleaded not guilty to the charge of murder.

Khumalo had testified that she recognised Ntanzi as one of the two intruders who tried to rob them on the night footballer was killed.

When probed on whether she would be able to recognise the first intruder if she saw him, she said: “As I have said, it's been about eight to nine years. Over time people gain weight, some gain complexion [sic] and some lose it, others change hairstyles. But if you have seen someone in such an incident, when you then meet the person again, your blood, the feelings and the body just tell.”

Mnisi put it to Khumalo that the police investigation had not resulted in the arrest of a person she could point to as the first intruder with a gun.

Khumalo acknowledged that while two people entered the house during the incident, there were five accused in the dock.

“As you can see, all five do not have dreadlocks and maybe if we could put dreadlocks on them and change their complexion to eight years ago, who knows what we could get. There were two people who entered the house and here we see five people. As to how the others came about, we can leave that to the police, as well as the evidence that was found,” she said.

The trial continues.

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